1963 Renault R8“Electric Frog”

1963 Renault R8 When I bought this car ten years ago, it had already been converted to electric,using 1960's technology (a generator from a San Francisco trolley, together with a series of starter solenoids connected to a bunch of batteries}

Am using a 15 watt solar panel to charge auxiliary battery (cheaper than a DC/DC converter)

Instrumentation

Voltmeter, ammeter, state of charge meter.

Top Speed

70 MPH (112 KPH)I have had it up to 68, so far (flat road , no wind, Renault speedo - there was still a little pedal travel left

Acceleration

"Reasonable"

Range

25 Miles (40 Kilometers)Longest trip so far is 27 miles, half at 60 mph, the rest at 35 or so with some fair hills

Watt Hours/Mile

150 Wh/Mile

EV Miles

Start:

54,152 Miles (87,130 Kilometers)

Current:

54,260 Miles (87,304 Kilometers)

Total:

108 Miles (173 Kilometers)

As of 7/21/2009

Seating Capacity

4 adults

Curb Weight

2,200 Pounds (999 Kilograms)Estimated

Tires

Firestone 135/R15 radials

Conversion Time

10+ years (I started about ten years ago, then after a couple of months I got "distracted" by other projects, and when gas reached $4 a gallon I decided it was time to get it on the road.

Conversion Cost

About $5000

I've discovered that the R8 has both pluses and minuses as a conversion - it is quite light (partially due, no doubt, to the sheet metal being beer-can thick); it was the first production car to have 4 wheel disc brakes, to help stop that lead, and it has a fair amount of room for batteries front and rear; on the other hand it is quite a rare vehicle in the US, and parts are hard to find.

After driving a few miles have encountered a couple of problems - need beefier suspension in rear.